The walls of the Obsidian Spire rose like a monument to forgotten truths—cold, towering, and humming faintly with invisible energy. As Luma followed Elder Ion into the stone courtyard, her boots clicked softly on the polished black floor. Around her, figures moved like shadows: some in flowing robes, others in sleek uniforms, all wearing badges shaped like tiny spirals.
A thin mist curled through the arches. Somewhere above, a bell tolled once. Deep and low.
Luma swallowed. "So… this is it?"
Ion nodded. "Welcome to the Obsidian Spire. You'll come to know it well. But first—settling in."
They passed beneath a wide archway carved with strange symbols—some familiar from Ion's lessons. Newton's apple. A falling feather. A curved arrow labeled "Δv."
"Those are equations," Luma whispered. "The gate itself is a formula."
"Very good," Ion said. "That's the Entrance of Concept. Every student begins here."
Waiting near the entrance stood a tall woman with grey-streaked hair, clipboard in hand, and steel-blue eyes that missed nothing.
"Luma, this is Dr. Clara Hart," Ion said. "She'll guide you through the basics of training and Spire orientation."
Dr. Hart smiled just slightly. "We expected you yesterday."
"We were… delayed," Ion muttered.
Dr. Hart studied Luma with calm precision. "You look tired. Come."
As they walked deeper into the Spire, Luma passed murals and diagrams etched into the walls—depictions of falling objects, swirling galaxies, and labeled force vectors. But her mind kept drifting back to the attack on the bridge… the strange slowing of time.
"Dr. Hart?" she asked. "That thing Kaelen used—what was it?"
Hart didn't stop walking. "We'll get there. But first, sleep, food, and introduction."
Luma's dormitory was surprisingly cozy: stone walls, warm bedding, and shelves of empty books begging to be filled. The next morning, dressed in a navy-blue tunic marked with a golden spiral, she stepped into the Orientation Hall.
Three students stood already waiting.
One had curly hair, goggles pushed up on his forehead, and a device with spinning rings strapped to his wrist. "You must be Luma," he grinned. "I'm Leo Carter—Spire tech whiz, according to myself."
The girl beside him crossed her arms. "You talk too much," she said. "I'm Nina Cole. I don't do handshakes."
A quiet boy with a thoughtful expression simply nodded. "Miles Bennett. I observe first. Speak later."
Luma blinked. "Um… okay."
Just then, a door swung open and in walked a new figure. Sharp, thin-rimmed glasses. Blonde hair tied back. Clipboard and pen already scribbling.
"Good morning," she said crisply. "I am Dr. Clara Hart, and I will be your instructor today"
Leo leaned over. "She's brilliant. Also terrifying."
*Mini-Lesson: Revisiting Newton's Laws (Quick Recap)*
Later, under Dr. Hart's instruction, Luma and the others stood on a raised platform in a training arena.
"We begin with defense," Dr. Hart said. "And for that, we revisit motion. Newton's Laws are not spells. They are rules of the world."
"First law," Luma whispered, "An object stays in motion or at rest unless acted on…"
"Second law?" Hart looked at her.
"Force equals mass times acceleration."
"Third?"
"Every action… has an equal and opposite reaction."
"Good," Hart said. "Now catch!"
She hurled a strange orb at Luma. Instinctively, Luma braced—but was thrown back. The orb was heavier than it looked.
"Ow!" she groaned.
"You used too much force on something with unexpected mass," Hart said. "Lesson one: know your enemy's mass. Know your own."
Leo tossed Luma a small gauntlet. "Try this. Energy gauntlet prototype."
Luma activated it with excitement—but it flung her backward into a pile of cushions.
Leo burst out laughing. "You didn't anchor your stance!"
Ion, watching from above, called down. "That's what training is for."
That night, Luma sat in her dorm with a stylus in hand, writing in the new journal the Spire had given her.
Day One
I met other students. I failed spectacularly. I think I made friends? Maybe.
They're all better at this than me. But I'm here. I'm learning. I'm going to fight back.
Outside her window, the Obsidian Spire loomed tall above the cliffs.
But above that—stars moved, and one of them wasn't a star at all.